UP Congress launched the second leg of their election campaign ``27 Saal-UP Behal’, Yatra on Sunday. The Congress announced to continue its campaign uninterrupted till the assembly polls as part of `Missan 2017 campaign. The Yatra, of two separate groups was flagged-off here by AICC general secretary and in-charge of UP Gulam Nabi Azad.
Ahead of flagging off the yatras,, Gulam Nabi Azad talking to reporters said," The Congress will contest the 2017 assembly elections in UP to form the next government in the state. The people of UP have experimented with the three parties in past 27 years. The three parties-- BJP, SP and BSP-- were voted to power for several times but the people in return got goondaraj, corruption, nepotism and misrule.''
"We are committed to end Goondaraj, pariwarraj and corruption raj in UP," Azad said while adding that these political parties cannot be forgiven in their conspiracy to divide the society on the lines of caste, creed and religion in order to capture the power in the state’’, said the Congress leader.
"Congress had never indulge4 in politics of caste and religion as it is a party of freedom fighters and had to sacrifice leaders like Mahatma Gandhi, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi," said the AICC general secretary.
Asked why former Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was made the CM face for UP polls, the Congress leader in the Rajya Sabha said," Sheilajee was not selected as she was a woman but was selected as she was the most successful CM of the Congress as well as of the country." She was behind the development of Delhi. We also want UP to be developed like Delhi and hence she was projected as the CM face to take benefit of her experience.
To a poser that RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat had expressed his concern about he declining population of Hindus in the country, the Congress general secretary said," RSS men cannot talk of development or any positive issue. They only talk of such things which divide the society and the nation."
However, the Congress leaders visibly disturbed by an inconvenient question when asked as to how he plans to strengthen the party as six of their sitting MlAs have left the party." We have expelled them as they had cross voted in the Rajya Sabha polls, and we have nothing to say about them." said Azad. He also accused the scribe who had the question of being partisan and asking a sponsored question.
He announced that the party will continue its activities in the state till the assembly polls. Congress has already organised three programmes--, first a bus yatra from Delhi to Kanpur, second Rahul Gandhi's meet with booth level workers in lucknow and last Sonia Gandhi's road show in Varanasi. He said that Sonia Gandhi was not feeling well but still she joined the road show in Varanasi. He said this leg of the yatra will last till October 9 in which all the remaining 65 districts of the State will be covered.
One of the yatra is being led by Party’s chief ministerial candidate Sheila Dikshit and campaign committee in charge Sanjay Singh while the other group is headed by UPCC president Raj Babbar and Coordination Committee chairman Pramod Tewari. Besides Gulam Nabi Azad, other senior party leaders which included former ministers will also participate in this yatras from time to time and would campaign against the non-performance of non-Congress government which ruled the State during the last 27-years.
The first Yatra will pass through Barabanki, Baharaich and return back to lucknow by Sunday evening while the second yatra will go to Faizabad on day one.
During the same period from today till October 9, the second group of the Yatra will cover Faizabad, Sultanpur, Amethi, Sant Kabirnagar, Basti, Siddharthnagar, Deoria, Ballia, Mau, Ghazipur, Chandauli, Shrawasti, Balrampur, Gonda, Allahabad, Fatehpur, Banda, Unnao, Kanpur Dehat, Bulundshahr, Meerut, Bijnore, Hathras, Etah, Farukabad, Mathra, lalitpur, Hamirpur, Jhansi, and Mahoba districts.